Toyota chief wants more

Toyota motorsport president John Howett is fully expecting the team to mount a sustained challenge as the season progresses.

Following a miserable winter of testing, the Japanese giants have mustered just five points, with Jarno Trulli claiming four, and a struggling Ralf Schumacher one from the opening three grands prix.

Despite the fact Toyota have one of the biggest budgets in Formula One, Howett believes “the expectations of many people have been grossly exceeded.”

But with the European season about to start with Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Howett is hoping for brighter future.

“In terms of our own ambitions, we expect to be fighting at a higher level,” said Howett.

“So it is pleasing we have exceeded some peoples’ predictions based on winter testing, but we know we have to do more.”

In particular, Howett is looking for Toyota to become the third best team on the grid behind McLaren and Ferrari.

“The team has not exceeded my own expectations,” added Howett.

“Last year I think we were quicker than BMW (Sauber), very similar to McLaren, but not quite so fast in race pace and now clearly they have achieved more or we have slipped back.

“There are two or three challenges facing us now the European season is starting.

“The first is to maintain our position at the top of the second group of teams and make sure we don’t slip back.

“Then, looking forward, the main ambition now has to be to catch and pass BMW.

“It’s clear from last year that we can make major improvements in performance over a season after we moved from a pretty slow start to a competitive position at the end of the year.

“We are intending to do exactly the same this year, but we are acutely aware there are another four, five or six teams out there trying to do exactly the same.

“It is a motivating challenge for the people here to do it again and to show we are an emerging and serious challenger on the F1 grid.”